He Who Stands Alone
by Melkor44
Summary: You know who he is. I know who he is. We all know. He's there, waiting for someone...someone who doesn't come, and for good reason: they don't exist. Or, at least, they don't yet. You never know, after all, just who might be the one to succeed you. At the end of the day, however, one thing is certain: the man of the mountain has no peers or equals.


They say a trainer waits on the top of Mount Silver, at the flat peak of the mountain, waiting for someone to challenge him. His skill in battle is unsurpassed, they claim, and he remains undefeated. Only the greatest of the great have challenged him; the Champion of each region has come for him and his title as the strongest...only to return in defeat. Blue Oak, Leaf, Gold, Crystal, Lyra, Lance, Steven Stone, Wallace, Cynthia, Alder, Iris. Each fell before his might, their horror evident in their eyes.

Some claimed to have seen him who hadn't; they were exposed quickly. Some claimed to have defeated him, and they were shamed even more than the rest. There were even a few who didn't believe he existed, but you should know you're wrong when everybody who's anybody is telling you that they've seen him.

Of all those who had faced him, each told a different story. A common saying in each, however, was that his eyes were as empty as the void of space. His posture never betrayed emotion, which was instead conveyed through the Pokémon he sent against you...if Blue and Leaf could be believed.

Gold spoke of the Trainer's all-destroying team. Lyra never ceased to wonder how he survived atop the barren waste of frozen hell. Crystal would say that the most terrifying moment was when she knocked out one of his Pokémon, because she knew that the next one was going to be even more powerful. For Steven, it was the way he silently commanded his partners. Wallace believed the trainer to be strong because of some innate knowledge of battle, almost as if he could predict and counter your next move. Cynthia couldn't believe that he was so young—eighteen at the most, she thought. Lance, having faced the trainer before, almost couldn't comprehend the speed at which his dragons were decimated. Alder had been shocked at his ferocity and disregard for safety, as though the pursuit of power was all that truly mattered. Iris had stayed to see him care for his Pokémon after she lost, and focused on that. Silver, son of Giovanni, had been devastated by the power of this god amongst men; dismantled in less than a minute of battle, he saw firsthand the Trainer's lack of pity or respect.

He was a Kanto native, and had ripped through the region as easily as I might slice through butter with a hot knife. Brock fell to him, then Misty, then Surge. Erika was overtaken, followed by Sabrina and Koga. There had been Blaine, but the aging man had stood no real chance. Last was Giovanni of Team Rocket, the final Gym Leader, who'd been struck the hardest of all—three losses at the hands of the one they called the Master, the Battler. The Elite Four had gone, one by one; Lorelei hadn't stood much of a chance, nor Bruno or Agatha. Lance had proved a mere inconvenience, and then-Champion Blue had been broken for the seventh time against his "rival."

They say that he stares out, looking over the whole of the Kanto region, waiting for one who can truly challenge him and bring him back to the person he once was. His companions are the sun and stars and Pokémon; he is hailed as neither the Champion of Kanto nor the Master of Kanto, titles which belong to Lance and Samuel Oak respectively, but as the Champion of Champions. Though he receives few challengers, his might is unquestioned...

They say that he waits for one who can dethrone him as the strongest. Perhaps that's you, or maybe it's going to be me.

Somehow, I doubt that he'll ever lose. He waits on top of Mount Silver, but he waits for one who won't come. He seeks a successor, but none can surpass him. All he really wants is another challenge, but there's nobody left who could pose one of those. He does the same thing on Mount Silver that he has for all his life...but it's probably a little colder up on the mountain.

Red stands alone.


End file.
